


Keep A Secret, Stowe

by nerdbird26



Series: The Unwanteds [1]
Category: The Unwanteds Series - Lisa McMann
Genre: Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Family Issues, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Self Confidence Issues, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-20 21:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17630291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdbird26/pseuds/nerdbird26
Summary: I wanna see the sunrise and your sinsJust me and you





	Keep A Secret, Stowe

**Author's Note:**

> Why is there no Alex/Sam stuff around here. Gotta do everything myself smh. Anyways this takes place right after the first book.

The cerulean waves crashed lightly against the sparkling white sand. Sometimes the waves got close enough to splash droplets of water onto the tip of Alex’s shoes. The air swirled through his curly, long hair. The aroma of sea and sand filled his senses.

Ever since the war between Artimé and Quill, Alex hasn’t been the same. He only practiced or made art required by his classes. His frequent art blocks made the act of drawing more of a struggle. He barely ate, only when his friends were around so they wouldn’t worry about him. He rarely slept, there were just too many nightmares.

For the first few days after the tiring and bloody battle, he would shut himself in his room and contemplate. Alex would think about his brother, Aaron. How his own twin could be so willing to kill him. How he was able to perform magic on the scatterclip so easily. How Aaron was supposed to end up beside him because of that rainy day in the mud.

After a while of being cooped up in his room, Alex got sick of the smell of himself. The softness of his own bed was no longer comforting to lay down on. And Clive pestering him by yelling through his bedroom door was bothersome, too.

Since then, he has tried several locations. The third floor of the library was cozy at first, but he was soon bombarded with the events of the night he heard Will Blair’s plan to kill Aaron. The same night he went into Aaron’s room to warn him. It made him sick, so he moved.

The lounge and dining room were too occupied. The theater was usually accompanied by Mr. Appleblossom’s constant rhyming. The classrooms were always used for classes. All that was left was the outdoors. The beach was only used by wandering creatures from the forest or students of Artimé taking a stroll.

This particular day was like most. Alex sat on the sandy beach, watching the waves roll over and crash onto shore. The sounds that usually came from the jungle were nearly silent that day. Alex, engrossed by the serenity, closed his eyes and almost drifted to sleep before he was interrupted.

“Alex?”

The voice startled him awake. Still sitting on the sand, he looked up at the tall figure standing next to him. He was surprised to see Samheed looking down at him, his head slightly tilted as if he was observing him. His arms were crossed across his chest. How Alex didn’t hear Sam approach was strange, but he figured that he was so lost in his thoughts that the world around him seemed to vanish.

“What are you doing out here?” Samheed questioned.

“Nothing. What are _you_ doing out here?” Alex fired back.

Samheed scoffed at his immature behavior. “Psh. Nice, Stowe. I’m out here looking for you, idiot.”

Alex shrugged. “I’ve been coming here for the past few days. How you guys haven’t found me yet is beyond me.”

Samheed’s face twisted. “You guys? What do you mean?”

“Oh come on. I know you haven’t been looking all around Artimé for me just cause you wanted to. Meghan and Lani must have asked you to do this.”

Alex then felt a fist slam into his shoulder. He shrieked in pain and looked up at the culprit. Samheed wore a scowl on his face.

“Actually, you dolt, I have been looking all over for you. Meghan and Lani have been helping out the new group of Unwanteds these past days. Yeah, sure, Lani’s been curious about you, but I’ve been pretty worried, too.”

Alex stared up at him, a little shocked. When he didn’t say anything, Samheed continued.

“I know what happened to you that day. Everybody knows. I’ve been worried about you.” He paused. “I mean... not _that_ worried but still. And I’ve been looking all over for you and when I finally find you, you act like a jerk. ‘What are you doing out here?’ Psh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you’ve been avoiding us all the time and you’re going through some stuff and I just wanted to be a good friend! I don’t know, Alex. Why don’t you tell me what I’m doing out here!?”

Samheed, shocked by his own outburst, covered his mouth with his hands. Alex was wide-eyed and speechless. He was used to Samheed’s short temper and outburst, but this one seemed almost...pitiful. He felt sorry for him.

“Sam... I didn’t know you were so worried. I’m sorry.” Alex said softly.

After a moment Samheed replies. “S’alright, Stowe. Sorry for the outburst.” He held his hand out to Alex. “C’mon, I’m tired of your constant hiding.” Alex smiled, took his hand, and stood up. They began walking along the edge of the sandy beach.

“So, why are you actually out here?” Samheed asked, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie.

“Well, since I can’t hide the truth anymore I might as well tell you. I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff. The war, Quill, my brother. Hard stuff.”

“Oof. Would it be better if you talked about it with someone instead of keeping it all cooped up in your head?”

“Honestly, yeah. I just needed some time to think about it on my own.”

“Fair enough. So, if you’ve had enough time to think it over, what exactly have you been thinking about?”

Alex sighed. “Well, the biggest thing is my brother. I just can’t believe he would do what he did. He tried to kill me!”

Samheed nodded. He was already aware of what happened in the secret passage of the palace via Mr. Today.

“And he used a scatterclip, too. He did magic! He should be here in Artimé!” Alex looked over at Sam, who had a strange frown on his face. “I know what you’re thinking, but when we were younger, Aaron drew with me in our backyard. It was raining and we were drawing houses, but my dad came outside and he got us mixed up.”

“Did you two draw all the time?”

“No, just that once. But...” Alex stopped. He knew it would be difficult to convince Sam that Aaron wasn’t evil, especially after what his twin did to him.

“I believe you, Alex. I just can’t look past the fact that he was so power hungry that he would do all that he did. You said it yourself. He tried to kill you. Isn’t that enough to tell you?”

Alex didn’t reply. As he walked, he looked down at his shoes and the soft white sand. He couldn’t admit it. He knew Samheed was right. But Mr. Today told him that there was hope. Wasn’t there?

“Y’know what happened to me during the fight?” Samheed interrupted his thoughts suddenly. “And why I was in the hospital? I saw my dad.” Alex looked at him, surprised, and saw Sam’s misty eyes.

“He broke my nose with a shield and knocked me out. I got back up and walked up to him. I wasn’t holding a single weapon. No spell or trick up my sleeve; I just walked up to him. He held a knife to my neck and said that I was no son of his. When he was about to strike me, Mr. Appleblossom used magic to knock him back.” Samheed turned his head away to wipe away stay tears.

“What? Why didn’t you stop him?” Alex asked, baffled. “Didn’t you think he was going to kill you?”

“I needed to know if he would do it.” Samheed looked at the ground. “At that moment I knew that he would have killed me. But I wasn’t surprised. He was always like that. He was always hot headed and bitter. Now you know where I get it from.” He have an empty, dry laugh.

“Back in Quill, at home where no one would see us, he would hit me. He couldn’t contain being emotionless all the time. So when he got back from work everyday, he would take his frustration out on me. He would threaten my mom and I so we wouldn’t report him.” 

Alex remained speechless. He wasn’t sure how to reply to such a tragic confession, especially one coming from Samheed. Even when they were back in Quill he had no idea of that. He would have never guessed. He hadn’t even realized that that kind of thing could happen. It was such a sickening realization.

“You seem...quiet, Stowe. Maybe that was a bit too much for you to handle.” Sam admitted. He looked as if he was guilty for saying all of that.

“What? No! I mean- maybe?” Alex stammered. “I was just...surprised. I didn’t know that all that was happening to you back in Quill.”

“Yeah, nobody knows. Not even Mr. Today or Mr. Appleblossom. So you better not tell anyone.” He said, stopping and snapping his head towards Alex. Even though his words sounded threatening, his eyes were pleading.

“Oh, yeah. I won’t tell! Promise.” Alex raised his hand up in defense. When Sam stopped staring at him and continued walking, Alex dropped his hand. “I’m sorry that your dad was such a jerk and that he did all that stuff to you.”

“Yeah, it sucked. But hey, he’s gone now. I’m free. I’m fine. I’m gonna be fine.” Samheed said, more to himself than Alex. The way he said it was almost unconvincing, like he knew he wasn’t going to be fine. “So, about your brother.”

“Oh, right.” Alex had hoped this topic wouldn’t come up again. “I saw him again. We met at the entrance of Artimé and we talked. Not for a long time, and we didn’t really say anything important. He told me that he doesn’t want to be associated with any Unwanted, and he refused to tell me anything. I’m not going to chase after him anymore. If he wants to join Artimé, that’s great. And if he doesn’t, that’s not my problem.”

“You said that he’s made art and done magic. Do you think that he could ever end up here?” Samheed asked.

“I mean, he could. He’s always been determined, so he could be a master at this if he wanted to. But he’s so stuck in the Quill mentality that I’m sure he would never come here.” Alex replied. “But...it would be nice. Seeing him around Artimé. With the rest of us.” Alex thought back to his conversation with Aaron at the gate.

_I’ll miss what could have been._

“Well, whether or not Aaron does join Artimé, you’ll still have us.” Samheed reassured.

Alex smiled. “You’re right. It’s still surprising that you’re the one that went out looking for me and not someone like Lani.”

“What, Alex? Would you have preferred Lani over me?” Samheed inquires, a hint of fake offence in his voice.

Alex almost blushed. “Huh? No, no! I-I like having you here. I enjoy your company. Maybe Lani is a little less intimidating and brash, but you’re...nice, too.”

“Well, Stowe. I think you’re nice, too.” Sam hummed. Both boys laughed. “You think I’m intimidating and brash, huh? What, is that not your type?”

Alex chortled. “Not exactly, I must say. Maybe you’re just an exception.”

“Oh, I see. Well, you’re not my type either, so I guess we’re even.”

“Hey!” Alex playfully punched Samheed in the shoulder. Sam brushed it off easily. “So, what is your type?”

“Hmm. Not sure. Why? Are you trying to see if you’ve got a chance with me?”

This time Alex blushed completely. Daringly, he stepped closer to Samheed. “Maybe.” Since Sam was a few inches taller than him, he had to tilt his head up to meet his eyes.

In return, Samheed stepped forward as well. “I thought intimidating and brash wasn’t your type?” He wore a mischievous grin.

“Maybe I’m starting to change my mind.” If Alex got any closer, their chests would be touching.

‘He’s cuter this close,’ Samheed thought. As soon as the thought passed his mind, his face flushed. Alex noticed this and giggled. The smaller boy was about to take a step back when Sam took hold of his sleeve.

“Kiss me.”

The words seemed to leap out of Sam’s voice without control. Samheed’s face was flared red, and Alex’s eyes were wide. Without warning, Alex leaned forward and did what Samheed told him to do. It was short and sweet, just a simple press on the lips. Alex’s hands were on either side of Sam’s face, holding him at just the perfect angle.

When he let go, Alex was stunned by the look on the taller boy’s face. He couldn’t tell if Sam was about to hit him, burst into tears, or kiss him again. Alex was about to apologize before he interrupted him.

“Why did you do that?”

“Uhh... b-because-“

“Why did I tell you to kiss me?”

Alex didn’t respond.

“What’s wrong with me??” Tears formed on the edges of his eyes.

“N-nothing’s wrong with you, Sam. It’s okay.”

“I liked it. Oh gosh, I liked it. _Why did I like it?”_

Alex cautiously stepped toward Samheed. He still wasn’t sure if Sam was going to take a swing at him, so he stood a distance away, but Sam grabbed him by his sleeve and yanked him closer. His eyes were darting all over Alex, like he was trying to figure him out. His eyes were panicked, but also deeply sad.

“My dad would hate me if I did something like this.” Sam whispered, mostly to himself.

“Well, he’s not here.” Alex spoke.

Samheed nodded, reassuring himself. He let go of Alex’s sleeves. Instead, he moved them to his hair. He let his fingers get lost in the other boy’s curls. He bent down and kissed him. It was longer than the first. It was drawn out, slow, methodical. He continued to play with Alex’s hair throughout the whole kiss. When they finally let go of each other, Sam put his hands back into his hoodie pockets.

“Uh- we should go. It’s getting late.”

“Yeah.”

Both boys began walking along the beach the way they came. The soft sounds of waves crashing against the shore accompanied them. After a few minutes and walking in silence, Alex spoke up.

“Hey, Sam? We’re...okay, right?”

Samheed didn’t answer immediately. “Um, yeah. Of course. I just need time to think.”

“Okay. That’s good.”

The rest of the walk was silent. They soon reached the mansion and climbed up the steps. They passed by Simber, who was sitting on his usual podium. They went into the boy’s hallway and continued to walk until they reached Alex’s door.

“Alex.”

Alex turned his head towards Samheed’s voice.

“Meet me at the third floor of the library tomorrow, okay?” His expression was hopeful and pleading. It was a face no one could say no to.

“Of course, Sammy. See you tomorrow.”

“Night.”

As Sam walked to his own door, Alex entered his room. Immediately, Clive flashed on his blackboard. “It’s nearly 1 a.m! I’m not gonna be screaming through your door to wake you up tomorrow morning, y’know!”

“Shove a sock in it, Clive.”

Alex was about to head to his bedroom to get some sleep when a notification popped up on the screen. It was a message from Samheed.

“Keep a secret, Stowe.”

Alex couldn’t help but grin. He wrote back.

“Got it, Burkesh.”


End file.
